Eden Park Pediatric Associates follows the immunization guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For information about these vaccines and the diseases they protect against, please visit http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/immunizations.cfm

Our Vaccine Philosophy

Our practice believes that all children should receive the recommended vaccines according to the guidelines provided by the AAP and the CDC. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases and health complications in children and young adults. Regular vaccinations help children ward off infections, and are administered as one of the safest and best methods of disease prevention.

We are happy to discuss your concerns about vaccines at your child's next visit.

Eden Park Pediatrics Immunization Policy

Eden Park Pediatric Associates is committed to providing our patients the best medical care possible. We believe that to do this effectively we must enter into a partnership based on mutual trust with the parents of our patients. We believe that immunizations are one of the most important health interventions a parent can do on behalf of their children, and we want all of our patients to benefit from this modern lifesaving tool.

Eden Park Pediatric Associates follows the recommended childhood immunization schedule of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP). We feel the current immunization schedule provides the best medical care to prevent these diseases that can cause severe illness, brain damage and death. The current immunization schedule has been thoroughly researched and has been found repeatedly to be safe and to be the best way to prevent these illnesses in young children. Delaying these immunizations puts your child at risk for developing these illnesses and does not decrease or otherwise alter the mild side effects sometimes seen from these immunizations.

We firmly believe that the current vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines do not cause autism or developmental disabilities. Thimerisol is still a preservative in a few vaccines and has been shown not to cause autism or developmental disabilities nor an elevated mercury level in those patients who have received thimerisol containing vaccines. The previous concerns about the association of the MMR vaccine and autism has been refuted and multiple studies have shown this to be a safe and effective vaccine. The delay or refusal of vaccines has caused resurgence of these diseases worldwide.

We recognize that the choice to vaccinate may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to reassure you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. We will be happy to discuss any issues at each of your child’s health maintenance visits. Separating vaccines to give over additional visits goes against expert recommendations and is not supported by any scientific data. You will be required to sign a vaccine refusal form if you choose not to follow the recommended schedule. At Eden Park Pediatrics, we feel strongly that the current schedule is the safest and the most effective way to immunize your child. We will require that all of the recommended infant vaccines be complete prior to age 2.

If you refuse to vaccinate according to these recommendations, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. This decision places your child at a serious health risk. As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating all children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right and responsible thing to do for all children.

We have attached these resources for you to review and encourage you to do your own research at these respected sites to make sure that all of your questions or concerns have been addressed.